a suburb of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County.
The thugs’ attempted crime was thwarted because the shop owner wielded his legal firearm, the Upland Police Department said on Instagram.
“On 12/30/21, at about 2:37 p.m., four suspects entered a jewelry store on the 300 block of S. Mountain Ave in an attempt smash-and-grab robbery,” police said.
The thugs sprayed bear spray on store employees during the brazen heist, but no one was seriously injured.
“The suspects deployed bear spray on everyone in the business, however, the business owner thwarted the attack by brandishing a legally-possessed firearm,” police said. “The suspects fled in a get-away vehicle that was waiting right outside.”
The Upland PD contacted detectives at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, whose investigations revealed that the suspects were part of a local criminal street gang who may have committed “other recent violent robberies in Claremont and Chino Hills.”
In partnership with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the Upland PD arrested four suspects and charged them with various felonies.
Darren Goodman, the chief of the Upland Police Department, praised all the officers involved in the crackdown. He said police are still looking for a fifth suspect.
“Five thugs tried to rob a jewelry store near 300 S. Mountain Ave,” Goodman tweeted. “Their attack was thwarted by the business owner who brandished a gun. [The] thugs ran out of the business to a waiting car.
“Thanks to @UplandPD & @SBCountyCheriff, 4 of the 5 thugs have been arrested.”
Not surprisingly, the suspects had criminal records, with three of the four out on parole:
Dalon La Flora, a parolee from Los Angeles.
Gerald Kay, a parolee from Fontana.
Jonathan Williamson from Upland.
Jahaad Crawford, who is wanted for an outstanding federal probation warrant.
Smash-and-grab robberies are now commonplace in Democrat-run California, thanks to their defunding of police and leftist district attorneys’ refusal to prosecute crimes.
In this instance, the owner of the jewelry store likely saved his own life as well as those of his employees because his legal firearm stemmed the crime.
Because of the terrifying spike in smash-and-grab robberies, many Californians are buying guns to protect themselves.
Libs of Tik Tok @libsoftiktok
Jewelry store inside a shopping center in LA, targeted today in a smash-and-grab
https://twitter.com/i/status/1466643683340476425
Bill Melugin @BillFOXLA
NEW: @LACoSheriff releases new 2021 crime stats for L.A. County vs same time period in 2020.
Homicides: ⬆️ 95%
GTA: ⬆️ 40%
Rape: ⬆️ 7.8%
Agg. Assault: ⬆️ 12.9%
Arson: ⬆️ 22%
He says LASD will start processing more CCW permits due to “less cops, more crooks, less consequences.”